Leviathan

Leviathan
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Statistics	22 cards 77.3% 4.5% 9.1% 4.5% 4.5% as of Zendikar Rising
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type:"Leviathan"

Leviathans are immense whale-like creatures that aren't necessarily found in the water. Most leviathans feature extraordinarily large mouths that could seemingly swallow the sea or the sky. They are not to be confused with krakens. The distinction between the two is rather vague. In general, leviathans tend to resemble mammals or reptiles, while krakens often combine aspects of mollusks, crustaceans, and fish.

The first card to bear the creature type was Leviathan in The Dark, though the Segovian Leviathan from Legends was later issued errata to become a Leviathan as well. Leviathans are mainly blue.

Storyline

Alara

There are two kinds of leviathans on Alara: The Esperite version is a near-mythical creature who is rumored to have devoured the seventh sea of the shard. Another is found near Kederekt on Grixis. With the reunification of Alara, some of these leviathans have wandered into their adjacent shards.

Dominaria

In the Mer Empire civil war Empress Llawan led her own personal leviathan into battle.

Nicol Bolas once fought against a demonic leviathan in the first duel between planeswalkers on the still-young plane of Dominaria. The fight lasted a month, reduced Madara to a third of its original size, and created the first spacial rift. After his victory Bolas feasted on the remains of the leviathan over the course of a year, absorbing its power in the process. When he finished, not much was left besides what eventually became known as the Talon Gates and an assortment of blubber.

Mirrodin

The Leviathans found on Mirrodin were likely transported there via Memnarch's soul traps. Like all life on that plane, they had metallic features. Memnarch used them together with his Levelers against the organic civilizations.

Kaladesh

The Leviathans of Kaladesh are at home in the aethersphere of the plane and resemble enormous eels. Similar to whales, they filter out their prey from the aether currents, although most leviathans also swallow drakes, skyships and similar smaller objects.

Ravnica

The Simic created several predatory leviathans that were airborne, like the Nimbus Swimmer and the Sky Swallower, through selective breeding. These skyswimmers feed on drakes, rocs, griffins and anything else they can catch.

The natural species that evolved naturally on the seafloor and in deep-trench caves are known as benthids. Some are so vast that they can't fit through the zonot apertures and are therefore trapped below.

Tarkir

In the old timeline of Tarkir, a single leviathan was known to exist within the mountainous seas. Its fate in the new timeline is unknown.

Notable Leviathans

Dominaria

• Valthus
• Slinn Voda

Ikoria

• Xyris

Zendikar

• Charix

Unknown

• The Demonic Leviathan

Trivia

• Eater of Days is an Artifact Leviathan.
• Segovia is a plane where everything exists in miniature. The largest creature, a Segovian Leviathan, is about the size of a Dominarian elephant.

Gallery

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  Sky Swallower is representative of air-based leviathans. Art by rk post.

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  Stormtide Leviathan is representative of water-based leviathans. Art by Karl Kopinski.

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  Mercadian leviathan concept by Anthony Scott Waters.